Selene's Tale
by ReadingFox
Summary: A freind of Haru's comes to the Bureau for help, and finds out way more than she bargined for.
1. Chapter 1

"Well, as far as long days go, this one's been a doozy." muttered Hikari as she wandered around the Crossroads district. "I wonder what Haru meant by a Cat Bureau..." Her mind flashed back to earlier that day around lunch, when her classmate and friend Haru had told her about the bureau.

"Hey Hikari, are you okay?" asked Haru, sitting next to her on the bench.

"No Haru, I'm not. You know how I got called out of class yesterday? Well, it turns out my parents were in an accident." she replied.

"Oh my gosh! Are they okay?!" gasped Haru. Hikari shook her head.

"They died in the hospital last night." she said in a flat tone. Haru gasped again.

"Oh Hikari, I'm so sorry..."

"And that's not even the worst part. Just before they died, they told me I wasn't even their kid...they found me by Kohaku river in a little basket with a this note attached to me." she pulled out a small, tattered piece of paper and handed it to Haru. "It's in some weird writing I can't read. What do you think Haru?" Haru took the paper and her eyes widened.

"I know this writing!" she said quickly. She looked around to make sure no one was looking and turned back to Hikari. "Listen, I can't help you with this, but I know someone that can. Here's what you have to do..."

Hikari's mind returned to the present.

"Find a white cat named Muta at the Crossroads, ask about the Cat Bureau..."Hikari continued to mutter to herself as she entered a small square with a few tables and chairs. "I'm starting to think I may have damaged her brain when I hit her in the head with that soccer ball last month." She started to sit down in one of the chairs when she heard a soft grunting sound. She looked behind her and saw a large white cat with a patch of brown on his left ear. She sat in the opposite chair facing the cat.

"Well hello there." she said in a friendly tone. Hikari had always loved cats. "You're a nice looking fellow aren't you? You should be more careful, people might think you're a cushion and sit on you." The cat just stared at her in a bored way. Hikari laughed.

"Hehe, I wonder if you're the white cat Haru was talking about." she said. At the sound of Haru's name, the cat perked up his ears.

"How do you know Haru?" he whispered. Hikari stopped laughing and stared at him.

"Y-you talked!" she whispered back, looking around to see if anyone had noticed. "Wait, then you must be him! Are you Muta?"

"Yeah. Who's asking?" A man nearby stopped to look at the pair. Was that cat talking to that girl? Hikari quickly scooped Muta up into her arms.

"Oh, Buyo! It is you! Thank heavens I found you!" she cried. The man smiled. Good, the girl was just making sure it was her lost cat. He continued walking on his way

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Muta hissed. Hikari settled him in her lap.

"Shh! Just relax and whisper to me. That guy saw us talking. The secret could have been blown wide open." she murmured. She began to stroke his fur gently.

"Nice plan, so how do you know Haru?"

"She's a classmate and friend. She told me I could come to the Bureau for help with my problem."

"What problem?"

"Take me to the bureau and I'll tell you." Muta sat up and hopped off Hikari's lap.

"Fine. Follow me and try to keep up." he said.. Hikari followed hot on his heels through a labyrinth of buildings and alleyways. They were running on top of the big tin roof when Muta called to her.

"Not bad kid, Haru lagged behind the whole way, but you're staying right next to me. You a track star or something?"

"No, but I've been climbing around on rooftops since before I can remember. My friends used to say I must be part cat." she replied. A few minutes later they came to the entrance to the bureau. Hikari looked around as Muta grabbed his daily newspaper and sat down to read.

"Hey Muta, is this it? Is this the bureau?" she asked. Just then, the sun began to set. Its reflection glinted off the windows of the other buildings and shined directly onto the prettiest house on the square. Muta held his newspaper up to shield his eyes.

"Again with the light show Baron? I told you before, no one's impressed!" he growled.

"I am." said Hikari. The lights faded and the lights inside the building winked on. Hikari gasped as the doors opened and a doll sized cat walked out.

"This must be the Baron Haru told me about." she thought as the figure swept off his top hat.

"Good evening, welcome to the bureau." he said. Hikari remembered her manners and bowed low.

"Thank you for your warm welcome Baron." she said. Baron looked mildly surprised.

"How did you know my name?" he asked.

"She's Haru's friend from school. She has a problem, so Haru sent her to find me." said Muta from the side.

"Oh, so the marshmallow finally proved useful?" cackled a voice from the pillar. Hikari whirled around to see a large crow where there had only been a statue before.

"Right, right. Refuge for creations. Stone or wood statues given souls." She muttered in an attempt to keep from freaking out. Toto looked at her.

"Another guest Baron? My, my, business is picking up. She's even prettier than Haru was."

"Indeed. So, Haru sent you to us did she?" said Baron, turning to Hikari.

"Yeah. She told me all about you and what happened to her last month. By the way, my name is Hikari." she replied.

"I see. Why don't you step into the bureau and tell us your problem and we'll see if we can help." said Baron kindly. Hikari followed him into the bureau and sat down on the chest. She found a minuscule teacup pushed gently into her hands.

"You seem rather haggard. This will make you feel better." said Baron.

"Thank you Baron." said Hikari softly. "Haru told me you were cool, but she never mentioned how kind you were." Baron cleared his throat awkwardly and sat down in his chair.

"Yes, well...you said you had a problem that needed solving?" Hikari set her teacup down.

"Yeah, but I don't know how much you can help." She said, pulling the letter from her bag. "My adoptive parents showed me this letter before they died. They found it with me in a basket on the banks of the Kohaku River. Haru said that you would be able to read it." she handed the scrap of beaten paper to Baron, who scanned through it. His eyes widened as he read the letter three times over.

"Miss Hikari, are you very sure you want to know what language this is?"

"Yes! Please tell me."

"Very well. This letter was written in Paw-paw, the language of the Cat Kingdom, by your mother, who was herself a cat."

"What?!"

"Read the whole thing out loud Baron." Said Toto from the balcony railing. Baron cleared his throat and began to read.

"To whoever finds this letter,

I beg of you, whoever you may be, to care for this child. I cannot care for her as I have been fired from my job and evicted from my home. By the time you have found her, I will have already passed on to the land of eternal summer and cat tails. If something should happen to you before she is fully grown, give her this letter and tell her of her adopted status. Otherwise let her live in ignorance.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Lunesta."

Hikari sat speechless on the chest.

"My mother was a cat...and she's dead." She stared into nothingness, unable to believe what was happening. Muta looked far more shaken.

"It couldn't be...but her name was Lunesta..." he was muttering. "They can't be the same cat. they just can't." Baron looked at his friend in concern.

"Muta, are you alright? You seem upset." Muta stopped his mutters.

"Baron, do you remember that letter I gave you years ago? The one I told you to keep locked up until it was time?"

"Yes, it's in a locked drawer in my desk. You never opened it did you?"

"No...can you go get it?"

"Of course." Baron left to get the letter and Muta put his head in his paws.

"Please...please don't let them be the same cat. Let it be a coincidence..." Toto flapped down from his perch to land on the arm of the couch. He set his wing on Muta's shoulder.

"Muta?" he said gently. "Are you okay?" Muta shook his head. He spoke very softly so only Toto would hear.

"I'm not sure yet, but I think Hikari's mother was my little sister."

"What?!"

"She sent me a letter years ago, but I never opened it. I was still hiding from the Cat Kingdom after eating all the fish in the lake and I knew if I read it I'd go dashing back there to check on her."

"So that human girl could be..."

"My niece, yeah." They looked at Hikari, who was still in a trance like state. Baron snapped them all out of it with his return.

"Here it is. It took me a moment to find the right key." He handed the letter to Muta, who slitted it open with a claw. He scanned the letter and began to shake. Tears filled his slitted eyes and ran down his cheeks. He handed the letter to Hikari.

"H-here kid." he sobbed. "Read it. You'll be able to now." Hikari took the letter and read it out loud.

"Dear Renaldo,

I'm sorry it's been so long since I last wrote, but my job has been keeping me busy. Prince Lune is getting so big now, and he's a real pawful. I pity his poor mother. Queen Solara is still sick in bed, so I'm at her side night and day when I'm not busy with the prince.

But that's not what I wrote this letter to tell you about Big Brother. I have good news bad news and worse news. The good news is that you're an Uncle now! Yes, last week I gave birth to the most adorable little female. She looks just like mother used to, pure white with brown spots over both ears.

The bad news is how came to be carrying her. Do you remember Natori, the kings advisor? The gray one with the glasses and long robes. Well, a few months ago, I was walking back to the house after work and I met him on the path. I could smell catnip wine on him as though he had bathed in it. I tried to politely step around him, but he kept blocking my path. He was mumbling some nonsense I couldn't understand, but I heard the words 'you will be mine' very clearly. Then...I don't remember clearly, it all happened so fast. One second I was running for the house, and the next he was on top of me and I was in agony. I must have blacked out sometime during the attack, because when I woke up, it was the next day and I was alone. When I went to work that day, I stopped at the healers to see if Natori had injured me too badly. That's when I found out that I was carrying his kitten. I told the Queen and she urged me to tell the King. I was terrified, so she came with me. She gave me the strength to announce what Natori had done to me in front of him. I wish you could have been there to see the look on the kings face when I announced to the royal court that his right paw cat had gotten drunk and attacked a female against her will.

But, that's where the worst news comes in. Even with his queens testimony, The king refused to believe me. He called me a lying hussy and dismissed me as the Queens head servant. I still can't believe what happened next. Natori confessed that he did attack me and said he wanted to take responsibility for his crime. I swear brother, that king must be half mad. He wouldn't even listen to Natori! He still blamed me for the attack and told me I would never find work in the Kingdom again. Even in my delicate condition, I was thrown out the window like a bad performer. Don't worry, I'm alright, I wouldn't be writing this letter to you if I weren't. After that I ran home and ended up crying myself to sleep. When I woke up, I heard someone knocking at my door. It was Natori. I tried to slam the door in his face, but he held it open. He begged me to let him take care of us, the kitten and I, but I told him that if I had any say in it at all he would never see his kitten. I can't believe he would have the nerve to ask me to marry him after what he did! I told him to just get out and leave us alone, but he refused, so I finally just back pawed him. The months passed and I became an outcast. Her highness still came to visit and comfort me, and when the time came, she was my midwife. I've decided to name the kitten after our Mother, Selene.

But I'm afraid I can't care for her. You see, the attack weakened my immune system greatly and I've come down with an illness that none of the healers can cure. It's terminal...I've set a spell on Selene and taken her to the Human realm where she can be cared for. She'll look just like a human and with any luck, she'll never find out about me.

You're probably wondering why I didn't just bring her to you. The reason is simple: I know you're on the run for that fish stunt you pulled (by the way, shame on you!), and I didn't want to add another problem to your load.

In case I'm gone before you read this, I love you big brother...

Your sister,

Lunesta.

The letter fell from Hikari's hands and her voice broke as she began to sob.

"M-mother...you went t-through so much just to die?! W-why? Why did this have to happen?" she sobbed, tears running down her face in long streaks. Baron patted her knee comfortingly.

"There, there now. It's alright. Everything's going to be okay miss Hikari." Hikari looked up.

"That's not my name anymore. My name is...Selene.


	2. Chapter 2

Selene's Tale Chapter 2

Hikari, or rather, Selene sat on the chest in the Cat bureau with her head in her hands. Her body had long since stopped shaking with the sobs, now only occasionally shaking with a sniffle.

"Baron, do you have a Cat Kingdom spell book by any chance?" she asked after a moment. Baron nodded slowly.

"Yes. But why do you want it?" he asked cautiously. Selene wiped away a few of her tears.

"Mother said in her letter that she used a spell to make me a human right? Well, I want to undo it. I want to be a cat again." Muta looked at her in shock.

"Kid, are you serious? Think of what you could be doing! You have school and your friends." he said.

"Haru was my only real friend, and I was going to drop out anyway. I can't keep a job to pay for our house and go to school at the same time. Please Uncle Muta, let me stay!" she begged, looking at Muta imploringly. Muta's heart softened towards his newfound niece.

"Okay, okay. If that's what you want." He said with a paternal smile. Toto flew over and perched on Selene's shoulder.

"Great, it'll be nice to have company around here. Not to mention having another Marshmallow to tease." Selene smirked evilly.

"Call me a marshmallow once I'm a cat and I'll make sure my first meal is crow stew!" she quipped.

"Oh dear, we may have a problem." muttered Baron from his place at his desk. He had gone to fetch the spell book and had riffled through the pages to find the right spell. Selene looked at him.

"What is it Baron?" she asked.

"It says here that the spell normally wears off once the one under the spell realizes his or her true identity. As that hasn't happened yet, I checked the fine print and it turns out that if the spell isn't broken after ten years, the spell becomes irreversible." Baron replied. Selene's jaw dropped.

"You mean I'm stuck like this forever?" she asked. Baron shook his head.

"Not necessarily. There is one other way to turn you into a cat again."

"Baron, you're not suggesting.." squawked Toto. Baron nodded.

"It's time for another trip to the Cat Kingdom."

"But how do we get there? It's a long way to the cat paw lakes, even as fast as I fly. And I can't carry Selene."

"Not a problem. Lune gave me a small portal gem we can use." Selene felt slightly confused.

"Excuse me, but how will going to the Cat Kingdom help here?" she asked.

"Simple" replied Baron. "Whenever a human enters the Cat Kingdom, they become cats themselves unless they can leave by dawn the next morning. Very difficult, as time in the cat kingdom passes much more quickly than it does here."

"So all I have to do is stay in the kingdom for a few hours and poof? I'm a cat again?" said Selene. Baron smiled at her phrasing of the process.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." he replied. Muta stood up.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get my niece kitty-fied!" He said.

"Now you're talking uncle Muta!" said Selene with a grin. "C'mon, let's motor." She and Muta slipped out the doorway of the bureau and stood waiting in the square.

"Coming Toto?" asked Baron. Toto shook his head.

"Go to a place where I'm seen as a walking dinner? No thanks. Let me know how it all turns out." he said, flying out the door and perching on his stone pillar. Baron quickly joined Selene and Muta in the square. He fished a small blue gem out of his pocket and tossed it in front of them. He moved aside to let Selene pass him.

"Ladies first." he said gallantly. "Step lively now, the portal won't stay open long." Selene quickly jumped into the portal, with Muta and Baron following her. There was a loud rushing in her ears as she was transported hundreds of kilometers a second. She eventually stumbled out onto a grassy plain in front of a large castle. Muta landed beside her with a soft thump and Baron leapt out gracefully.

"Wow, Lune rebuilt the tower portal!" said Muta. He looked down at his niece, whom he now towered over. "Haru told you about that right?" Selene nodded.

"I thought he'd do some good around here. Especially after his lunatic of a father retired." said Baron to Selene's left. Selene gasped as she saw Barons features up close for the first time. His orange and cream fur glistened in the sunlight and his mint green eyes shone with the intelligence of ages. Selene blushed and looked at her shoes, feeling oddly self conscious. Suddenly, a voice called out from behind them.

"Baron! What are you doing here?" Selene looked around to see a beautiful white cat with a red ribbon around her neck walking towards them.

"Ah, Queen Yuki. Just the cat I wanted to see." said Baron. Yuki blushed.

"I'm not the queen yet. I'm still only Princess Yuki." she said. She looked at Selene. "Who is this? Not another human the Cat King dragged here?" Baron shook his head.

"No, she's...it's a long story. We need to see Prince Lune about it." Yuki nodded and smiled kindly at Selene. Selene decided she liked this cat immensely. Yuki gestured for them to follow her and she led the way into the castle. They entered a large throne room where a jet black cat who's fur bordered on purple was sitting on a throne, talking to a small spotted brown cat with folded ears.

"Check with the mousers and the fishers from the east regions. Make sure every guest will have enough to eat." He was saying. The brown cat nodded and was about to scurry off when the Prince called after him. "And make sure you get a solid answer this time Natoru!"

"Still making wedding preparations Lune?" said Yuki, walking to her fiancee's side. Lune looked up from a stack of papers and smiled at the group.

"Baron!" he said happily. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"I hate to bother you when you're so busy with plans for your wedding your highness, but I have a question for you." Replied Baron. "Do you remember a cat who used to care for you by the name of Lunesta?" Lune smiled.

"Of course! Auntie Lunesta was Mother's best friend and servant. Why?" he said.

"Do you remember that she gave birth to a female kitten years ago?"

"Yes, Mother said she gave it up to a human family before she died."

"It's a bit more complicated than that Princey." said Muta. He pulled Selene out from behind him, where she had been hiding. "She turned her into a human, and we had to bring her here to change her back." Selene blushed and bowed deeply.

"Greetings your majesty." She said quietly. Lune's mismatched eyes widened in shock.

"Cousin Selene?! I thought you were dead!" he leapt off the throne and embraced Selene, squeezing the breath out of her.

"C-cousin?" she gasped. "But we're not related!" Lune released her, allowing her to breathe.

"Maybe not by blood, but our mothers were closer than most litter mates." he said. "How long are you staying?" Selene thought for a moment.

"Well, I hadn't really thought that far ahead. I mainly came here to turn into a cat and maybe visit my mothers grave."she said. Lune's smile drooped a bit.

"Oh..." he said. "I had hoped you'd want to stay. There's plenty of room here." Selene smiled warmly.

"Thanks Lune. It means a lot that you'd invite a perfect stranger into your kingdom, but I'm used to the human world. Tell you what though, Once I'm a cat again, I'll stick around for a few days and you can tell me about our mothers." she said. She turned to Baron and Muta. "You guys don't have to stay once I'm a cat. You can go if you want." Baron shook his head.

"I believe I'll stay. I'd like to pay my respects to your mother."

"And there is no way I'm leaving without my niece. Lunesta would kill me if I did." said Muta, crossing his arms stubbornly. Lune tugged at Selene's hand.

"I've just thought of something Selene. We've been holding it in case you ever returned. Mother said you would someday." he said. Selene marveled at him. Just a moment ago, he'd been all business, now he had the exuberance of a kitten. She allowed herself to be led down a hallway and up several flights of stairs to a large pair of doors.

"This used to be my mother's room. It's been locked for years, while we were waiting for you to return. Our mothers used to spend hours sitting in here and talking." he pulled a key from beneath the high collar of his regimental jacket and slipped it into the lock. The door clicked open and both of them swung inward, revealing a lavishly furnished room draped with silks. In one corner there was a large wardrobe, mirrors and a privacy screen, in the other, a huge chest, and in the center of the room, a lounger sat next to a empty pool. It looked like a harem room from an old movie. Lune crossed the room and opened the chest. Kneeling next to it, he beckoned Selene to him.

"Come see Selene. Mother brought this Chest here after your mother passed on. It's her belongings." Selene gasped and ran to the chest. There were hundreds of items; books, clothes, veils, even jewelry that looked befitting of royalty. But the best thing in the chest was a small portrait of two cats. One was sleek, black, and wearing a golden jeweled collar and earrings. The other was slightly smaller with white fur, gentle green eyes, and a brown spot over her right ear, wearing a golden diadem over a body length veil. Selene's eyes filled with tears as she looked upon the face of her birth mother.

"Mother had that made two weeks before...before the attack." said Lune. "It was the anniversary of the day Auntie had come to work for mother in the palace."

"She's beautiful." whispered Selene. Lune picked up a small leather bound book.

"And there's this. It was a daily ledger our mothers wrote in. They would take it each day and write about their experiences. And look here, these are sketches my mother would draw to illustrate the entries." He pointed to a drawing of Lunesta and Queen Solara picking wild flowers. Selene turned the pages reverently, noticing that her mothers entries became fewer after a certain point.

"She stopped writing after the attack.' she said, voicing her thoughts. "She was probably too weak to carry on." She flipped to the last entry in the book that her mother had written.

_I don't fear death anymore. I have lived these last few days in near constant pain with only my dear friend Solara to help. I will be glad to die and leave this pain behind, but I regret having to send my first and last kitten so far away and not being able to say goodbye to my dear brother Renaldo. I only hope that my daughter lives a good and happy life, even if she does find out about her origin. But, strange as it may sound, my greatest regret is not telling–_

Selene flipped the page over, but found nothing but the frayed edges of a torn out page.

"Telling who what?" she said. "Lune, someone ripped a page out of the ledger!" Lune looked closely at the book.

"That's odd. This room has been under lock and key since mother passed away." he said. "And Father never comes in here if he can help it."

"Too many memories." said a voice from the door. Selene looked and saw a large, shaggy, half shaved, purple-grey cat standing there. He sighed heavily.

"Poor Solara." he said. "She didn't deserve to suffer like she did with that illness." Selene looked at Lune for clarification.

"Mother had a heart condition that worsened after Lunesta's death. " he explained. The former king looked at Selene.

"Well, well. Who do we have here babe?" he asked. Selene stared back evenly.

"I am Selene Moon, daughter of Lunesta Moon." she said calmly. "You must be the former King."

"That's me babe. So what's a pretty little human like you doing in our kingdom, hmm?"

"Paying my respects to my mother and turning back to normal." The king looked confused. Lune once again explained things.

"Father, this is the daughter of Mother's head servant. The one you banished years ago." Selene could almost see the lightbulb go off over the old kings head.

"Oh! Well, I'm very sorry about all that nastiness. Here, lean down and I'll tell you what I'll do to make it up to you." he said, waving a carefree paw. Not one to disobey royalty, retired or not, Selene leaned down and let the king whisper to her. It all happened withing three seconds; Selene's eyes went wide as saucers, and she threw a vicious left straight at the king. It hit hard and the king went tumbling head over tail.

"You really think I'm going to consent to _that_ after you call my mother a lying hussy and banish her?! You're part of the reason I have no parents!" she screamed at the old monarch. Muta laughed loudly.

"It's about time someone hit that old fool!" he guffawed. "I'm just sorry it wasn't me. What'd he say to you kid?" Selene was shaking in rage.

"He said he'd marry me and give me lots of kittens to take my mind off of it!" she said furiously. She addressed the king directly. "Listen pal, I don't know what kind of whacked out laws you created so that you could proposition girls young enough to be your daughter, but where I come from, you would be in prison by now!" Selene could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. Wait, was it just her or were there a lot more than usual? And why did her nails feel sharper? She chanced a glance in the mirror across the room. She gasped as she saw her body was covered in light grey fur with brown feline ears. Her face had already begun to morph into that of a slim faced cat. Her hands had turned into paws with sharp claws extended. She even had a tail!

"Holy mother of tuna!" she yelped. "I didn't think I'd start changing this fast!" Her new tail lashed from side to side in agitation. Suddenly, a large camo-colored cat poked his head in and saw his king sprawled on the floor, still stunned by the punch, with a grey cat still in a fighting stance.

"Hey!" he snapped. "The penalty for attacking the king is death! You're in big trouble girl!" within seconds, several other cats with the same coloring had entered the room and surrounded Selene. She could hear Lune shouting for them to stand down, but the guards weren't listening. One of them charged forward with a spear. Selene quickly jumped up and landed just above the point, snapping the spearhead cleanly off. Amazed with her newfound agility, she decided to try a move she'd always wanted to use. She wrenched the staff of the spear from the cats grasp and twirled it above her head like a quarter staff. She began slamming cats left and right, singing Yankee Doodle.

_Yankee doodle went to town_

_riding on a pony_

_put a feather in it's cap _

_and called it macaroni!_

_Yankee doodle step it up_

_Yankee doodle dandy_

_Yankee doodle kick it up_

_and with the maids be handy_!

By the end of the tune, the entire troop of guards was sprawled out, unconscious. Muta gave his niece a hearty backslap.

"Nice going kiddo! But why the song?" he asked. Selene shrugged.

"I used to be a Yankee in junior high. Y'know, the ones who wear long skirts and carry lead pipes? Well, it felt like I was reliving my glory days and I always used to sing that when I got into a gang fight." She tossed the staff away and was about to go back to the chest when a bespectacled, robe wearing grey cat dashed into the doorway.

"Good heavens! What happened here?" He cried. Selene stood stock still, staring at him. The words of her mothers letter flashed through her mind. A grey, robed cat with glasses had attacked her mother. This was the same one. Her father, and the main reason for her mothers death.

Selene's mind snapped as she charged Natori. Her eyes went red with rage and hatred. She pounced on him and began clawing and punching every inch she could reach, screaming.

"YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED MY MOTHER! I'LL KILL YOU!" Natori screamed in pain and fear as he was beaten mercilessly. Baron leapt forward and seized Selene around her shoulders so her arms were rendered useless. She fought to get at Natori, still screaming.

"Let me go! Let me go! He has to pay for what he did! He killed my mother!" she roared, struggling hard, but to no avail.

"Selene! Listen to me!" Shouted Baron, struggling to keep his hold in the temporarily insane cat. "Killing him won't solve anything! It won't change what happened and it won't bring your mother back! Just calm down and listen to what I'm saying!" He held tighter and oddly enough, felt Selene go limp. Her body began to quake with gentle sobs.

"It hurts..." she murmured. "It hurts Baron..." Baron refused to loosen his grip.

"My hold? I'm sorry, but I can't--"

"No, not your hold." Said Selene, cutting across him. "My heart...It feels like someone just ripped a hole into it. It hurts Baron. It hurts so badly..." She went completely limp and Baron released her. She crumpled to the floor like a rag doll and sobbed into the stone.

"Dammit!" she cried. "Why?! Why did it have to be like this? Why did she have to get sick and die? Why did he have to attack her? And now my heart won't stop aching...it hurts...it hurts. It hurts. It hurts." she continued to mutter, tears flowing down her face again, making tracks in her furry cheeks.

Natori sat bleeding from his wounds and stared at Selene. After several minutes, he spoke.

"Selene..." he muttered. "She said the kittens name was Selene. That's my daughter...oh, good heavens, that's my daughter. My child." He crawled to her side and set a paw on her shoulder.

"Oh, my poor Selene." he said. "My little girl." Selene flinched away from his paws.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed. "Don't you dare touch me with the paws you used to violate my mother! I wish you were dead! I hate you! I wish you would just die!" Natori withdrew his paw slowly, his face the picture of heartbreak..

"I'm sorry Selene. I truly am." he whispered. "I wish it had turned out differently. I wish I could have raised you with your mother." Selene's head shot up, her eyes blazing.

"You want no such thing." she snarled. "You only wanted to rid yourself of the guilt. You never wanted me or my mom. You only wanted to feel better about the attack."

"That's not true!" cried Natori. "You don't know the full story, you only know what was written in that letter. You don't know what she told me before she died." he seemed to choke on his very words. "She...she gave me something before she passed on that you should see." he then undid the first few clasps of the high collar on his robes. Folding it so it lay flat around his collarbones, he revealed a glittering collar made of fine leather with jewels studded along its length. Lune gasped.

"T-that's" he stammered. Natori nodded.

"Yes, an engagement collar. Lunesta saved her earnings for months to buy it for me. She was going to give it to me, but after the attack...She told me where to find it just before she died, along with this." he pulled a folded sheet of paper from within his robes. He handed it to Selene, who opened it and gasped as she read its contents.

"What does it say Selene?" asked Lune. Selene read it out loud.

_My dearest Natori._

_I have very little to offer one of such high rank like you, but I can no longer keep my feelings bottled up_._ Ever since I first laid eyes on you as an entertainer in the palace, I have been awestruck by your grace and dignity. I've saved up for ages to buy this collar for you. Please accept it as a token of my feelings. Whether you accept the proposal of marriage is up to you, but whatever you decide, please keep the collar._

_Lunesta_

Selene looked at Natori, who nodded.

"Your mother was in love with me before I attacked her. And...I loved her. We were head over heels for each other, but didn't know how the other felt. That's why I tried to make up for my mistake. That's why I begged her to marry me and let me take care of her." his shoulders shook with strangled sobs. "I didn't tell her how I felt until it was too late. She was already making her way into the fields to die when I found her. She had collapsed from illness and exhaustion and I begged her to listen. I told her how much I loved her and held her in my arms as she slipped away. Just before she died I asked her if she felt the same...she told me to look in her house, in the third drawer of the desk and I'd understand. I found this collar and I've worn it every day as a reminder of what I lost that day. I lost a love...and a daughter." Before Selene could object, Natori flung his arms around her in a tight hug. "Please Selene, forgive a foolish old cat! I've hated myself every day of my life for years because of this! I beg your forgiveness." Selene did not return the embrace. She sat there, waiting for her father to release her.

'I'm sorry father, but I'm not the one you should apologize to. It was Muta's sister you killed, apologize to him." she slipped from Natori's grasp and walked out the door, her face blank and emotionless. Muta nudged Baron lightly.

"Do me a solid Baron, Go after her and make sure she doesn't do anything drastic while I take care of Glasses here." he whispered. Baron nodded and left the room, following the sound of Selene's footsteps. He stopped around a corner and watched as she spoke to two pastel colored serving maids. They pointed outside a window to a field on the east side of the castle. Selene took off like a shot down the stairs trough the main castle hall and out the doors. Baron called to the servant cats.

"Excuse me, where did you direct that young lady?" he asked. The cats bowed their heads politely.

"She asked us if we knew the location of Lady Lunesta's grave." said one with pale purple fur. Her companion, a sky blue cat, spoke up.

"Every serving girl here knows where it is." she said "Lady Lunesta was always so kind to us, we go visit her every month."

"Where can I find it?" Inquired Baron. The two cats pointed out the window once more.

"Go east until you reach the big hill with the lone tree. That's where the grave is." said the purple maid. Baron thanked them and took off at a quick walk. Leaving the castle, he headed east, the big hill the maids had spoken of quickly came into view. On top of it was a single tree and Selene. Baron quickened his pace. He soon came to the top of the hill and spoke to her.

"Selene?" he said. She looked at him, tears in her eyes again.

"Baron, come meet my mother." she said. Baron stood beside her and looked down at the gravestone. It had her mothers picture and a small inscription stating her dates of birth and death, and her long service to Queen Solara. Baron looked at Selene to make sure she was okay, and found to his surprise that she was smiling.

"She's free of the pain now Baron." Selene said. "She's probably been watching over me this whole time. You know, back at the castle, when dad showed me his collar, I didn't believe him. But them I heard a voice whispering in my ear that he was telling the truth. Do you think it was her?" Baron set a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure it was Selene. Maybe your mother didn't want you to hate him so she told you he wasn't lying." he said.

"I don't hate him, but I'll never be able to fully forgive him." replied Selene. "I'll never be able to look at him without remembering my mothers pain...but knowing that they loved each other in the end really helps." she looked down at the grave.

"Thank you mother" she said. "Thank you for helping me to understand." At her words, a warm wind blew around them, as though telling them everything would be alright. Baron offered his arm to Selene.

"Well, shall we go back to the castle? Muta's rather worried about you." Selene nodded and took the proffered arm. They returned just in time to see Natori get his last beating from Muta.

–

**Well, another Chapter gone and done. And I finally have my computer back! So, if you like, review. If not, flame.**


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